The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-16
THE PULPIT AND PUBLIC
MORALS.

mORALS.
The moral teachings of the Christian
religion have changed the currents of
thought and feeling in the civilized
world by the elevation of the passive
virtues over physical strength, animal
courage, and other ideals of pagan life
in the greatest of the old civilizations.
The Cross has become the emblem of
glorified suffering and self-sacrifce
the martyrs crown glitters with all the
virtues of religious heroism. Tie gen.
Jus and force of Christianity are incar-
mated in him who is "Chief among ten
thousand and altogether lovely; )" and
the perfection of Christian character is
the reflex of his teachings and exam
pie. Socrates and Cicero, Buddha and
Confucius failed to make people good
and better for lack of motive power.
But the New Testament presents an
array of powerful motives crowned by
that supreme principle of saving grace
1.-THE love of Christ constraineth US :;
because we thus judge that he died for
all that they which live should no longer
live unto themselves, but unto him who
for their sakes died and rose again."
The relation of the pulpit to public
morals is thus decided by its relation to
all morality. The grace of God never
leads to graceless living. The gospel of
Christ is strictly reformatory. 1t will
revolutionize the man, the woman, the
family, the community, the business,
and the life of all upon whom it takes
its sovereign hold. The Decalogue, the
Sermon on the Mount, the teachings of
Christ and his apostles all make for
righteousness. Every great religious
reformation and revival in Europe and
America has been attended by revival
of personal, domestic, social, and pub
lie morality. In the apostolic age and
during the first three Christian centu-
ries the voices that drove the gods out of
the Pantheon proclaimed righteous
ness and temperance and judgment to
come" and heralded the reign of right
eousness and Of the Prince of Peace.
The theology of the Reformation was
simply a return to that of the New
| Testament, and its results were seen
| and felt in the moral resurrection of
every nation and community that be-
| came reformed, not only from the errors
Of popery, but from the wickedness of
| the times. The later Reformation I'M
der the Wesleys and Whitefield and
| their co-laborers was revolution against
the Ineffective moral teachings of the
leading pulpits Of the Church of Eng
land and the deplorable lives of the fox
hunting, d-playing, and wine-bib-
bling clergy Of the times. And the great
revivals Of the eighteenth century in
our own country under Edwards, White
field, the Tennents, and their CO -labor-
ers produced similar results. These
results concur with the personal expert
ences of such men as Scott the COM
mentator, Chalmers, and others who
found neither peace, nor comfort, nor
success in preaching morality without
Christ, and whose lives and ministries
took on new beauty and power from the
moments of their new birth. That
form of Christianity which goes down
deepest into human sin and misery is
certain to go up highest into life and
glory, like the Son of God, who first
descended into the lowest parts of the
EARTH" and then 'ascended on high,
Leading captivity captive, and bringing
gifts for men," So only shall the pull
pit and the church of the present age
be able to cope with the sins and the
woes of private life and with the dar-
ing and power of organized public wick
edness in these "last times. Req. W.
j. r. Taylor, IN Honuiletic Review.